2003 letter from Nottingham:  Another example. Standing next to the remains of Nottingham Castle, limping around, I met a man who worked in the shop. He gave me the usual tourist information (which Ron had gone off to get from Tourist Information). Then he suggested that the next day, I stop first near a department store and look for a storefront called shop mobility – where they would supply me with a motorized wheelchair for the day – no charge. He said, "This isn’t America. We take care of our people!" I had to agree. I didn’t do it because today I started out feeling so much better, but it was wonderful just to know that it was available. I should also say that I probably should have obtained a chair, because walking around quickly took its toll, and I was back in pain and limping.

Our first stop this morning was the library. It had internet service (free of course), and was by far the best, most comprehensive library we’ve seen. There are 300,000 people here. That’s not a big metropolis. But it had a huge library, with probably 50 computers for public use, and extensive collections of books in all European languages, and Chinese, Urdu, Hindi, Vietnamese and a whole lot more.

Went to one museum. It was housed in a group of four connected houses that had been built beginning in 1668. Now it houses a museum of Nottingham life. Very nice little facility. Showed lots of stuff about the way people lived in the past, and had an entire room devoted to remembrances of childhood vacations from the 1920’s to the 1990’s. Oral history put to good use.

We were surprised to find that Nottingham is full of caves. People used them for laundry rooms or kitchens, etc. During the war, they used them for air raid shelters. One night when the Luftwafte bombed northern England, 245 died in this little town – most of them when a plane scored a direct hit on a cave under a bakery, and the entire facility fell in and killed the employees who were down there.

The oldest Inn in England is here, dating from the 12th century, and I am attaching a picture of it. We tried to have lunch there but only stools were left for seating so we passed. I am also attaching a picture of the City Council Building—city hall—to show you the flower arrangements in the little park just in front of it.

On our way out of Nottingham we had to stop at Sherwood Forest. Where else? The biggest attraction besides the Robin Hood Fair (a medieval-but-not-renaissance fair) was the 800 year old oak tree. We’ve only seen one other tree purported to be that old – in Korea – and that one had no leaves on it that I can recall. This one is still alive – although it certainly needs help. It is, of course, enormous. It was also a mile walk to get there. I’d never have made it, except for the tent in the parking lot. Its sign read "Fair Mobility". Just for the hell of it we went in, and discovered that they will lend you a motorized scooter for the day – for nothing. You do have to put down a refundable deposit, but no charge. It’s the same "scheme" as the man in Nottingham told me about. This time I decided to do it, and it was wonderful. I was able to go to the old oak, and to return, no problem. And Ron didn’t have to walk very, very slowly! I was able to keep up and to avoid everyone else.

We asked about this service and discovered that there’s one in every city. Going to ask about it in York! It’s a charity not a government service, and it is just wonderful.

Leaving Sherwood Forest, we went through the next town, which has the church where Robin Hood is supposed to have married Maid Marion. Beautiful town, beautiful church, horrible traffic, no place for us to park. We just drove on to our next destination: York.

 
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